Comedian Brian Regan has his roots in Florida, but NW Ohio can claim a measure of his upbringing as well. Before he was crowned “The Funniest Person in New York,” this stand-up legend-in-the-making was attending Heidelberg College in Tiffin, and planning on being an accountant. But during his last semester, it all changed for him. Maybe it was the colder-than-cold Ohio winters, but Regan decided he wanted to dedicate his life to being a comedian. He dropped out of college in his final semester and went to work at a comedy club back in Florida, where he focused on getting an education in making people laugh. To say that it has paid off is an understatement— Regan is now one of the premier names in comedy, and he is known for his clean, profanity free shows that are a hit with the adult crowds and families, alike.
Selling out theaters nationwide, Regan has included the Stranahan Theater on his latest tour and the Toledo City Paper was honored to be able to chat with the funnyman in anticipation of his visit on Sunday, August 27.
So you went to Heidelberg?
I sure did. They have statues of me all over the campus because of how wonderful of a student I was.
How did you end up at Heidelberg?
I grew up in Miami, Florida. I played football in high school. Several of my football coaches had come down from Heidelberg— they migrated the correct way, they went from the cold down to the sun. It was because of them that I even heard about Heidelberg College. My high school football team was pretty good and we sent a lot of guys to major colleges, but I wasn’t good enough to go to a major college. So I heard about Heidelberg through my football coaches, so that’s how I ended up going there.
What was your takeaway from living in Ohio?
The sky is grey.
You ended up dropping out of college, but then you ended up going back and getting your degree?
Yes, I dropped out of college to do stand-up comedy. Then I went to my 15-year college reunion and one of the professors there said, ‘Why don’t you get your degree? You’re so close, credit hours-wise.’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t have a semester to come back to school. I’m traveling, I have a job.’ And he said, ‘No, you don’t have to do that. We’ll figure out a way where you can wrap up these last 10 credit hours.’ So we did that and I was able to get my degree, and it was actually a very good feeling. I went up and did the walk with the hat and the robes and the whole nine yards, it was cool.
What was the impetus to be a comedian in the first place?
I knew from about the time I was a sophomore or junior in college that I wanted to be a comedian, but I was just hanging in there, figuring I was supposed to finish this college quest before I went after it. It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing, it was more I knew for a couple of years. But then there was a hinky thing with my classes— I needed to get a certain grade in a certain class and it was only offered in a certain semester. It was complicated, so I decided to say, ‘Heck with it, I’m not going to mess with this anymore, I’m going straight after the stand-up comedy thing.’
Do you have a favorite comedian yourself?
I don’t like to say favorite because there are a lot of different people doing different things. I’ve always been a fan of Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr, I’ll throw my brother Dennis’ name in there— Dennis Regan, I like Maria Bamford. There are many comedians out there. The issue with naming some is that you are excluding others who are great.
You’re famous for working clean— what was the decision behind that?
Well, other people have highlighted that more than me. I do happen to work that way, but it’s not as important to me as it is other people. I know that sounds weird, but when I sit down to come up with some jokes, I don’t think to myself, ‘Alright, come up with some good, clean jokes.’ I just want to write funny jokes and at the end of the day, they happen to be clean. I just like to make sure, for me, that they’re laughing at the ideas and not at the words. I like it as a personal challenge.There are comedians out there who work dirty that are great. Different strokes for different folks.
Do you find yourself having to censor jokes to fit your act?
Occasionally. Yeah, I will think of some twisty things now and then that would be fun to explore comedically, but I have to be considerate now, because I’ve developed a thing where people feel they can bring their 12-year-olds to my show. I don’t want to think of my show as a ‘kiddie show,’ but I also don’t want parents to regret having brought their kids there. I save those for when I’m hanging out with my buddies and we’re getting super sicko.
Do you ever put on a disguise, go to some little comedy club and do a real blue act?
Hahaha, yeah, that would be fun. The thing is, so few people know who I am, I wouldn’t need a disguise. My actual face is enough of a disguise.
You’re playing theaters now instead of clubs. Are hecklers still a thing?
Not that much. It’s not a myth, because people do heckle, but… first of all, you can divide hecklers into two categories: friend and foe. A friend heckle is someone who’s still a pain, but he’s not trying to hurt you, he’s just yelling because you mentioned baseball and he wants you to know who his favorite team is. And then you’ve got your foes— people who yell, ‘When are you gonna start being funny?’ or ‘Don’t quit your day job.’ Those are very, very rare. Not because I’m that good, but because people usually aren’t that mean. It has happened a handful of times in my career, but maybe less than 10 times. The friend heckles happen all the time.
You once won a “Funniest Person in New York” contest. Did you ever hear from some prominent comedians who you beat out?
That was actually a pretty big deal. Kevin James won it one year, Ray Romano won it one year. They took their prize and went on to have superstar careers. I took my prize and now I’m headed to Toledo (laughs).
Brian Regan will be performing at the Stranahan Theater (4645 Heatherdowns Blvd.) at 8pm on Sunday, August 27. Tickets run $56-$130 and you can purchase them by calling 419-381-8851 or visiting stranahantheater.org.
